Lakeside Variety (formerly McGraths)

[Argie's Wife]

It seems that Lakeside Variety closed for good this week. The store was known as McGrath's and had been in business for 76 years, I believe.

Story in town is that it was sold to Fiddleheads Farms Marketplace in Dover, NH (http://www.fiddleheadfarmsmarket.com/) (Broken Pushcart used to be at that location in Dover.)

I find it interesting that McGraths closed because Hannafords came into Alton, but then became a 5-&-10, to then sell to a... grocery store (upscale...? maybe?)

Anyone else heard about this one?

[Whimsey]

I heard the same rumor, but don't have any real facts.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

The store was known as McGrath's and had been in business for 76 years, I believe.

Argie's Wife: Yes....but not in the same location. It used to be located down on the bay before it burnt at the present site of Gillan's Marine.

[gtxrider]

That old store had lots of stuff. There was food, some hardware, toys......The post card looks to be from the 40's

[fatlazyless]

...wow..what a nice old building that orange, green & yellow 'new englander' is & right on the water too....those were the days....do you remember??....wouldn't it be nice if some store somewhere actually sold this old postcard photo all framed and ready to hang on the wall....seems like the old postcards had better color than today's postcards.....back then....postcards were more postcardy, or something!

Alton must have suffered a big loss when that McGrath's building was lost to a fire. Got to love an old hardware store.......nails by the 1/4lb.....two washers....one drill bit....and one crotchedy old nut behind the counter somewhere.....

That Reubin's Hardware is a terrific Alton store....by the way....

[RLW]

The old Alton drive-in use to be where McGraths is now located, whoops I should say, use to be before last week.

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

...wow..what a nice old building that orange, green & yellow 'new englander' is & right on the water too....those were the days....do you remember??....wouldn't it be nice if some store somewhere actually sold this old postcard photo all framed and ready to hang on the wall....seems like the old postcards had better color than today's postcards.....back then....postcards were more postcardy, or something!

Alton must have suffered a big loss when that McGrath's building was lost to a fire. Got to love an old hardware store.......nails by the 1/4lb.....two washers....one drill bit....and one crotchedy old nut behind the counter somewhere.....Ruebin's is a terrific Alton Hardware Store....by the way....

Not to derail the thread, but the hardware store by the Town Hall is a great old building with creaky floors and is run by some very nice folks. I do like Ruben's, too, but find the parking a little tough especially in the summer.

I'm sure the original McGraths was quite a store... I knew that the location by the school hadn't been there for very long. Too bad they didn't rebuild in the old location...

[Slickcraft]

True Value Hardware, Ruben's Home Center, Busy Corner Store, Town Hall, let's hope they don't get replaced with new quiet yucky flooring.

[ghfromaltonbay]

In the early 60's the only grocery in town was McGrath's. It had the old wooden creaky floors and narrow aisles to negotiate with a shopping cart. The right-hand side of the building had a 5 & 10 type store in the front and in the back they sold clothing. The week prior to Labor Day weekend the clothes were marked down 40-50% and you could get some real "bahgains" on Queens casual summer outfits. Back then the Busy Corner (now Amilynne's) had the post office, an ice cream stand and a laundromat besides the general store offerings. So sorry to see the new McGrath's closing. We already have Hannafords and DeVylders farmstand, don't know how a gourmet market will do. With Doris McGrath moving to the Taylor community, I guess her sons don't want the store anymore. We still need a laundromat.....

[Ropetow]

If it is a Fiddlehead's Farms Marketplace coming in, that is not a bad thing. Yes, they are upscale, but the meat and produce are absolutely top-notch.

[ghfromaltonbay]

From their website, Fiddleheads looks like it would fit in more in a frou-frou environment like Wolfeboro. Between Johnson's marketplace, DeVylder's farmstand & Hannaford's, I would think there wouldn't be on overflow of clientele to support a gourmet market in Alton.

[jmen24]

I have to agree with GHFAB, Alton, Barnstead and the close surrounding towns have always been more working class, "That loaf of bread is HOW MUCH," type of people, just like me. And its not like you have to take a plane to get to Dover if that is really what you want.

We have a Co-op's over here in New London that is owned by the folks in Concord. Hanover and Lebanon have one each as well that are connected by ownership. These areas along with Dover have the higher household incomes to sustain a location. Sounds like they want to break into the Lakes Region without the overhead of a prime locale, they are going to make you drive.

[nj2nh]

I loved the old McGrath's in the bay. My dad practically grew up with Peter McGrath. I still have a bunch of those cedar boxes with "Alton, NH" on the cover. Love those things. Used to pick one up every summer.

I missed the original store when it burned. The new one, where the marina is now, just wasn't the same - too "modern" for me even though it was the early 70's, I guess.

I loved the 5&10 in the village, too. Too bad. Ah, memories.

nj2nh

[mcdude]

From the Laconia Daily Sun:

Upscale Fiddlehead’s market buying McGrath’s in Alton
ALTON — The McGrath family has been doing business in Alton since 1933, when Frank McGrath and his family moved up from Massachusetts and opened a food and general provisions shop in Alton Bay. Peter took over his father’s business, who in turn passed the family trade on to his son, Clifford. With that kind of family history, it is with a heavy heart that Clifford McGrath prepares to close the family business for good. He expects that Saturday will be the final day that Lakeside Variety will be open for business. However, if everything works out as hoped, the McGraths will sell their property on Main Street to another family-operated New Hampshire business, Fiddlehead Farms Marketplace. The McGraths have been operating on Main Street since 1972, after an explosion leveled the store in Alton Bay. McGrath’s was the neighborhood grocery store for decades until the Hannaford supermarket opened in town in June of 2006. McGrath attempted to survive in the shadow of the behemoth competitor, but quickly realized a change in his business strategy was necessary. Later that year the McGrath family closed its grocery store and opened a “five and dime” type store in the same building. “It didn’t work, it’s been a rough three years,” said McGrath. He has liquidated about 95-percent of his inventory and will remain open, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., for the rest of this week, ending on Saturday. McGrath said, “The five and dime format just doesn’t work anymore, now that you have a Wal- Mart on every corner now... I tried, but it didn’t work out for me.” Tony D’Orazio, one of the owners of Fiddlehead Farms Market, said he hoped to open a business in Alton and was in the process of negotiating a real estate purchase. McGrath confirmed that D’Orazio was a prospective buyer of his property. “I’m excited about the idea of opening a business in Alton,” said D’Orazio, declining to comment further until the real estate purchase is finalized. The website for Fiddlehead Farms Marketplace describes the business as a “European style marketplace” that features produce, cheeses, meats, wines and other foods, featuring both New England made products as well as specialty items from around the world. Fiddlehead Farms Marketplace, located on Central Avenue in Dover, was founded by D’Orazio’s parents in 1973 as The Broken Pushcart. In the business was renovated and given its current name. By focusing on specialty goods, D’Orazio has succeeded where McGrath didn’t. Fiddlehead Farms has remained in business despite being located within a mile of not only a Hannaford Supermarket but also a Shaw’s and Market Basket. For McGrath, closing the business is a time of crisis. “The store was a person on it’s own, it was a family member,” he said. At the dinner table, the store was discussed as if it were an absent relative. McGrath, who started working in the family store in 1972 and has run the operation since 1992 said he would have to “go through a grieving process” before he would decide the next phase of his professional life. “I’ve lived in retail business all my life, I don’t know any other kind,” he said.
— Adam Drapcho

[Lucy Goose]

Originally Posted by jmen24

I have to agree with GHFAB, Alton, Barnstead and the close surrounding towns have always been more working class, "That loaf of bread is HOW MUCH," type of people, just like me. And its not like you have to take a plane to get to Dover if that is really what you want.

We have a Co-op's over here in New London that is owned by the folks in Concord. Hanover and Lebanon have one each as well that are connected by ownership. These areas along with Dover have the higher household incomes to sustain a location. Sounds like they want to break into the Lakes Region without the overhead of a prime locale, they are going to make you drive.

Where are the coops? do you have more info on them?

[Argie's Wife]

Heard it from the mouths of Fiddleheads' employees today that they are aiming for a June 1 opening....

[PapaDon]

Originally Posted by jmen24

I have to agree with GHFAB, Alton, Barnstead and the close surrounding towns have always been more working class, "That loaf of bread is HOW MUCH," type of people, just like me. And its not like you have to take a plane to get to Dover if that is really what you want.

We have a Co-op's over here in New London that is owned by the folks in Concord. Hanover and Lebanon have one each as well that are connected by ownership. These areas along with Dover have the higher household incomes to sustain a location. Sounds like they want to break into the Lakes Region without the overhead of a prime locale, they are going to make you drive.

Another choice here in the Lakes Region is the Big Banana CSA.

[mcdude]

Fiddlehead Farms opened this past Thursday apparently. Stopped in today. It was quite crowded. Nice to see some cars in the parking lot again. So you go in and you have to hang a right which moves you along a quite impressive bakery along one wall....YUM!!! Lots of pastries. Then as you move back along towards the front there is a deli along the other wall. I noticed prepared foods (lasagna, salads) and fish and some marinated meats. Along the center there are lots of bins with fresh produce. I didn't get much of a feel for the prices and it was crowded so this is not a complete list of their offerings. There are NO GROCERIES. No boxed or canned goods, cleaning or paper supplies or anything like that.

I liked it!

[SteveA]

I agree with McDude, this place is fun.

We spoke with lot's of the folks that work there. It seems they are a co-op. Each department has different owners, Cheese, Bakery, Fresh Meat, Deli that makes sandwiches, (Boars Head !) and a fantastic Fresh Fish provider.

The vegetables were awesome, asparagus $.99 per pound! 1lb strawberry's $.99. Get this Farm Fresh Jumbo Eggs... $.99 per dozen!

The cheese shop is called The Butlers Pantry, www.butlers-pantry.com, run by a very nice lady, Margaret Smith, The Meat House , www.themeathouse.com, is run by Erik Holt (GM), he was giving out a small take home sample of his steak tips. ( I'll report back later tonight!) They also had a great selection of Dry Aged beef, Top End selection of all meats and Fresh grilling sausage. The bakery is Abigail's Bakery www.abigailsbakery.com. all fresh made and made in NH.

The fresh fish is amazing, Fresh Halibut.. not previously frozen! Wide selection of local and shipped in fresh fish. They also have lobsters.

As the local produce becomes available, they will feature locally grown produce.

I really got a kick out of the names of some of the locally brewed beers and stouts from Manchester Brewing. Check out the names of some of their beers at their website. http://manchesterbrewing.com/beers.

This place is a great addition to the Lakes region!

[SteveA]

I hope I scanned these correctly..

[Argie's Wife]

The beer selection is breath-taking...

We dined on grilled lime chipotle turkey tips, zucchini and summer squash, fresh tomatoes, and baby red potatoes the other night, all from Fiddleheads. Hubby and I split a St. Peter's OPA... yum. It was all good.

[ossipeeboater]

i stop at fiddlehead farms in Dover every time I head north for meat and veggies and usually a pastry treat. With no good meat shop on the east side of the lake this change should be a positive.

[SteveA]

We did try the steak tips they gave us as a "sample" . They were "melt in your mouth" tender and not overmarinated. Very much like the Whining Butcher's meats.

Place is great to have around. I think they will do very well.

[upthesaukee]

...to your pocketbook or wallet, as in "I'll take one of each!" .

We stopped in to "look around" and ended up picking up two strip steaks, and some other stuff. At around 6:30, as the PGA tour event was ending, I fired up the gas grill, my wife was getting the corn on the cob ready, and made a salad, and as I went to put on the steaks, the grill was out; as in out of gas .

So, the steaks were cooked in the broiler, and they were oh so good and so was the corn. Now I will have to buy a Jenn-air stove with Grill or DCS similarly equipped for the house, in case I run out again.

Oh, I had a spare bottle, but it was empty too.

[DRH]

QL and I stopped by Fiddlehead's today and were very impressed. The inside of the building has been renovated and it is clean and well laid out. They were offering free cheese, shrimp, and hot marinated steak tip samples, all of which were delicious. The staff has been well trained and they are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. At the fish/seafood counter we had a hard time making a selection as everything looked so fresh and tasty. We finally decided on the fresh salmon, which I had this evening (unfortunately QL is allergic to fish and seafood). The salmon was outstanding. We are now planning to make regular stops there now for meat, fish, vegetables and fruit.

[CrawfordCentury]

I popped in on Saturday. Only spent a few bucks. Gotta love the 3/$1 grapefruit. I likes mah dried fruit too, so I treated myself to some cantaloupe spears. The boy got a nice cookie.

They offer a neat Valentine's Day prefab supper you just pop into the oven back home. Good deal. Mrs. Crawford loves the Canoli (sp?). Not much for the pastrys, so she gets mine and I get the last glass of vino.

[PapaBarnCat]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

...wow..what a nice old building that orange, green & yellow 'new englander' is & right on the water too....those were the days....do you remember??....wouldn't it be nice if some store somewhere actually sold this old postcard photo all framed and ready to hang on the wall....seems like the old postcards had better color than today's postcards.....back then....postcards were more postcardy, or something!

Alton must have suffered a big loss when that McGrath's building was lost to a fire. Got to love an old hardware store.......nails by the 1/4lb.....two washers....one drill bit....and one crotchedy old nut behind the counter somewhere.....

That Reubin's Hardware is a terrific Alton store....by the way....

Can anyone point me to any articles, photo's, whatever of the fire? That building was my father's birthplace. Feel free to PM me.

Thanks!